Considering a MA2, thoughts?

[Dharris6891]

At the moment I have a MM. I'm looking at possibly upgrading, well, adding to my collection. I am 100% a hobbyist, I find it relaxing and enjoyable and a great addition to off-road exploring and hiking. My biggest complaint with the MM is connection stability. In a canyon or in the forest, the signal range is dismal and I often find myself getting disconnects and RTH's at somewhat short range. Is the MA2 connection more stable in these conditions? Also, the wind tolerance is a plus in my eyes too, it'll open up more flying opportunities. What about the smart controller? Is it truly beneficial to buy the fly more combo that includes it? In everyone's opinion, does it add enough value to justify it? Thank you in advance for your time, opinions, insight, and info!
-Dan

 

[slup]

If flying is something you do during off-road exploring and hiking, portability might be a thing to factor in ... why not consider a Mini 2... still Occusync & much better wind resistance than the Mini 1?

 

[eaglesurfing]

I almost bought the mini but I compared the specs and glad I bought the MA2.

No matter what, you get more with MA2.

 

[vindibona1]

If size and weight/registration isn't an issue the MA2 is by far a better choice than Mini 2. They share the same controller but the extra power and features of the MA2 provides a drone that competes with the Mavic 2 while the Mini 2 is *almost* a MA2 but not quite. It is my opinion that all the bugs haven't quite been worked out of the Mini 2 yet. I've had two and the second one is in the shop as I type this.

 

[icecoldgin]

My thoughts?

All tranquil, joyful, and relaxed when I bought the MA2

 

[Dharris6891]

Portability isn't a huge concern really. I'll have the mini 1 still if i want to pack light. The smart controller is appealing to me as well to further simplify the setup, fewer items to connect. I added a skin and soon a strobe to my mini, so i already have the FAA registration completed and the number on my mini as the skin alone put me a touch over 250g per my scale.

 

[vindibona1]

Portability isn't a huge concern really. I'll have the mini 1 still if i want to pack light. The smart controller is appealing to me as well to further simplify the setup, fewer items to connect. I added a skin and soon a strobe to my mini, so i already have the FAA registration completed and the number on my mini as the skin alone put me a touch over 250g per my scale.

Ok... but did you mean to say you were going to get a SMART CONTROLLER for it, or was that a brain fart when you meant to say Ocusync controller that comes standard with a MA2? I have those kinds of brain farts all the time, having had one recently when I accidentally ordered prop guards for and MA2 when I wanted them for the M2. I wonder if the differentiation is any different in Chinese?

 

[Dharris6891]

Ok... but did you mean to say you were going to get a SMART CONTROLLER for it, or was that a brain fart when you meant to say Ocusync controller that comes standard with a MA2? I have those kinds of brain farts all the time, having had one recently when I accidentally ordered prop guards for and MA2 when I wanted them for the M2. I wonder if the differentiation is any different in Chinese?

I am interested in the fly more combo that includes the smart controller.

 

[tbrtt1]

MA2 is a great choice an good bang for your buck. Definitely the Fly More combo. If you can swing it, The smart controller seems like a nice to have. But if you plan to run 3rd party apps then maybe skip the Smart controller.
I’m fairly new and a hobbyist as well but The flight time, obstacle avoidance, 1/2 inch sensor all in a still small package is pretty hard to beat Imho.

 

[Squidinc]

I’ve had the MA2 combo as my 1st drone and have nothing but great things to say about it’s amazing capabilities! Couple it up with a Yagi 5.8ghz signal booster to enhance your connection even more. I have not invested $1k Australian for the SC, as I dislike Android devices, it’s too expensive, and my iPhone X works perfectly.

 

[Yeunglings]

I'll throw in my 2 cents( 2.8 pence NZ ?) the MA2 is definitely the way to go if you're not worried about size and weight wither for hiking/ riding or registration. It has almost all of the featureset of an M2 at about half to ⅔ the price but is 2 year newer technology overall with better flight time. The Mini2 is mostly a slimmed down verson of the MA2 that doesn't have quite the same stuff but close enough( you can't turn the gimbal side to side like the MA2 and lose out on 4 minutes theoretical flight time) and though they list it as having the same wind resistance I'd beg to differ. It's not a lot but the added density of the MA2 seems to handle slightly higher winds.
As to the SC, that's totally your call but something to think about is the added cost. If you break the standard controller you can pick up a new one for anywhere from $75us to $200us pretty easily but the SC is something like $700us. And if you want a bigger screen or to be able to hold the controller at a different angle that's more comfortable to you while still able to see the screen that can be done with the standard rc but not the SC. The SC does offer quicker setup and the ability to use it on multiple drones but not either Mini. If you plan to build your fleet with more MA2, M2 series or Phantom 4 it might be worthwhile but then you have 1 controller and X numbers of drones. Personally I have a MM, Mini2 and MA2 each with their own controllers and tablets&holders so I can fly with the family at the same time and if something breaks its more likely to be a cheaper fix or replacement and I can upgrade my screen size/ brightness or capabilities whenever I want

 

[JJENDERS1]

At the moment I have a MM. I'm looking at possibly upgrading, well, adding to my collection. I am 100% a hobbyist, I find it relaxing and enjoyable and a great addition to off-road exploring and hiking. My biggest complaint with the MM is connection stability. In a canyon or in the forest, the signal range is dismal and I often find myself getting disconnects and RTH's at somewhat short range. Is the MA2 connection more stable in these conditions? Also, the wind tolerance is a plus in my eyes too, it'll open up more flying opportunities. What about the smart controller? Is it truly beneficial to buy the fly more combo that includes it? In everyone's opinion, does it add enough value to justify it? Thank you in advance for your time, opinions, insight, and info!
-Dan

I have the MA2 with the smart controller and love it. No connection issues so far. I think it would be a great choice.

 

[KeithB70]

I am interested in the fly more combo that includes the smart controller.

I have an MA2 and Smart Controller combination and I love it! As you yourself point out, less faffing about connecting things up, much brighter screen than most phones. An expensive piece of kit but in my view, money well spent.
Cheers
Keith

 

[Yogi053]

Am I wrong in thinking that the MA2 fly more combo does NOT include the Smart Controller and that the OP would have to buy it separately!

 

[Dharris6891]

Am I wrong in thinking that the MA2 fly more combo does NOT include the Smart Controller and that the OP would have to buy it separately!

There are 4 options when purchasing one on DJI's website. The base kit, fly more, fly more with care refresh, and fly more including the smart controller.

 

[Crashdummytest]

At the moment I have a MM. I'm looking at possibly upgrading, well, adding to my collection. I am 100% a hobbyist, I find it relaxing and enjoyable and a great addition to off-road exploring and hiking. My biggest complaint with the MM is connection stability. In a canyon or in the forest, the signal range is dismal and I often find myself getting disconnects and RTH's at somewhat short range. Is the MA2 connection more stable in these conditions? Also, the wind tolerance is a plus in my eyes too, it'll open up more flying opportunities. What about the smart controller? Is it truly beneficial to buy the fly more combo that includes it? In everyone's opinion, does it add enough value to justify it? Thank you in advance for your time, opinions, insight, and info!
-Dan

The MA2 with smart controller is a serious piece of kit, for the enthusiast. The Mini2 is not in that league, but lots of fun, small and pretty quiet. Wind resistance seems much better with the MA2 (Mini2 complaints a lot more), and the camera in MA2 is better than the one in Mini2. That said: Mini2 results are impressive. Rewind 5 years and you know what I mean.

 

[Dharris6891]

The MA2 with smart controller is a serious piece of kit, for the enthusiast. The Mini2 is not in that league, but lots of fun, small and pretty quiet. Wind resistance seems much better with the MA2 (Mini2 complaints a lot more), and the camera in MA2 is better than the one in Mini2. That said: Mini2 results are impressive. Rewind 5 years and you know what I mean.

I definitely understand what you mean. I've been following/watching the drone scene for years and have just never had the time to really get into it. I have a Blade 180 QX/HD that I learned to fly on. The camera, compared to my MM, was terrible. The tech and quality has come a long ways. I think I've pretty well decided on the MA2 with the smart controller. I've got a side job in the works that will pay soon and when it does, I'm going to order the MA2 with the smart controller. It just seems like the best fit and addition. Maybe some day I will sell my MM1 and upgrade to the MM for a compact, on the go unit. Maybe they'll add MM2 support to the smart controller some day, right?

 

[tlswift58]

I started with a Mini - just to get a feel for droning as a newbie. Nice little drone, but with few features for someone just getting into droning - you know like sensors. I still have my Mini that I hope to use in travels around the world - when and if that ever happens again.

Also bought the Air2 FlyMore (reg one) and LOVE IT. Extra batteries and such ARE A MUST. I would like to have an SC, but not at the current price for them. Being nearsighted and wearing glasses doesn't seem conducive to flying a SC as well - thus why I recently got a tablet to use with my regular controller. A small phone is not much different than the SC in size and such - so I had issues with the phone / controller and seeing what the drone was seeing. Gets bad in bright sun too. Will be trying out my new tablet combo doing some waterfalls today to see the differences.

MA2 is an easy choice for a hobbyist - which I am one too. Priced right with most of the features of the more expensive Mavic's. Wish DJI had put side sensors on the MA2, but that too would up the cost / weight.

 

[Yogi053]

There are 4 options when purchasing one on DJI's website. The base kit, fly more, fly more with care refresh, and fly more including the smart controller.

Thank you, I had no idea you could buy a combo which included the SC. I'll have a look now.
Stay safe!

 

[Crashdummytest]

I definitely understand what you mean. I've been following/watching the drone scene for years and have just never had the time to really get into it. I have a Blade 180 QX/HD that I learned to fly on. The camera, compared to my MM, was terrible. The tech and quality has come a long ways. I think I've pretty well decided on the MA2 with the smart controller. I've got a side job in the works that will pay soon and when it does, I'm going to order the MA2 with the smart controller. It just seems like the best fit and addition. Maybe some day I will sell my MM1 and upgrade to the MM for a compact, on the go unit. Maybe they'll add MM2 support to the smart controller some day, right?

Definitively worth it, the MA2 + SC is a great combination, I use it all the time. This winter in really cold weather, down to -25degC.
The smart controller is a favorite piece of gear, just very useful.
You can add other Mavics to the same controller, such as the M2P or M2Z. You will also get MA2 first person view via the HDMI out on the SC. With a Mavic 2 you will have headtracking as well.
But no Mini2 support yet... darn.
Did I mention how usable the SC is? No more fiddling with phones or tablets, cables, mounts etc, and nice bright screen. Just power up & fly. Congrats.